The Power of Seven Second Chances: Obtaining Team and Organizational Success Without Firing the "Rest"

Jack Welch was named “Manager of the Century” by Fortune magazine partly because under his leadership, GE stock went up 4,000 percent. Welch, a ruthless believer in productivity, subscribed to the idea of “hiring the best and firing the rest.” Welch was undeniably successful, so arguing with his approach requires a clear paradigm shift, and that’s exactly what this book is about - an approach diametrically opposed to the idea of “firing the rest.” Our first argument against “firing the rest” is philosophical and, perhaps, idealistic. A relentless and unforgiving focus on productivity promotes a culture of fear – an environment in which employees are more likely to compete against each other than collaborate. We believe this kind of environment is not the most conducive to growth and development, and we also know most people simply don’t enjoy working under such conditions. And our second argument is plain and practical. Most organizations just cannot afford to “hire the best and fire the rest.” Employers of choice may fire the bottom 10 percent of their managers every year, just like GE did under Welch. And they may also hire among the top 10 percent of each graduating class as they replenish their management pool. But unless you’re an employer of choice, your hiring and firing options are likely much more limited. Often you must choose among candidates with varying levels of skill, talent, or passion; only rarely do you find a strong balance of all three attributes. And when it comes to firing, most companies would do well to reserve that most extreme of measures for the most extreme of circumstances. Luckily, most do. So, how an educator with a record of success in public school turnarounds and a chemical engineer with years of management and consulting experience suddenly find themselves advocating for a new approach to leadership. One of us started out as an “at-risk youth,” one of those kids who was always in trouble, and he ended up competing in the Olympic games –thanks to a principal who was willing to give him a second chance. And one of us, with nothing but tough leadership as examples, spent years as a hard-nosed manager leading the way she’d always been led, until graduate work in adult learning taught her that people need more than force, facts, or fear to change their behavior – they need relationship and multiple opportunities to get it right. We have come together to collaborate on this project because our very different experiences have led us to a common belief. Our professional paths have converged at the realization that most managers, like most educators, must build success with what they have. And in order to build success with what they have, they must take the time to understand, nurture, and develop talent. While precise evaluation and decisive action may be the tools of an effective manager under the Welch model – a manager who may “fire the rest” – empathy and compassion are the quintessential tools of managers and educators. Working, like we do, in urban education or community health, empathy and compassion are simply a must. Not only does work in these fields require a high degree of emotional intelligence, but also these sectors in general draw from a talent pool in which passion is much more abundant than training. This kind of work attracts workers inspired by the mission and the vision of their organizations, workers who are typically highly empathetic themselves, and workers who are neither motivated nor helped by unyielding standards. Leading these kinds of organizations requires an empathetic approach – an approach that both recognizes employees as resources worth developing and empowers them to treat and lead others empathetically as well. This book is for those leaders who need to make the most of the people they have by using evaluation as an information-gathering mechanism to guide growth and development.